Diagnosis at Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic doctors review your medical history and perform a physical exam in order to better understand your condition.

Additional tests and procedures may be used to understand the extent of your radiation enteritis, including:

Endoscopy. During an endoscopy, your doctor passes a long, thin tube (endoscope) down your throat and into your esophagus. The tube is equipped with a camera. Endoscopy allows your doctor to inspect your stomach and the beginning of your small intestine.

Colonoscopy. During a colonoscopy, your doctor passes a long, thin tube through your rectum and into your colon. The tube is equipped with a camera. Colonoscopy allows your doctor to inspect your colon for abnormalities and areas of inflammation.

Capsule endoscopy. During a capsule endoscopy, you swallow a pill-sized camera that takes pictures as it passes through your digestive system. A capsule endoscopy allows your doctor to inspect your small intestine, which is difficult to access with other tests, such as endoscopy and colonoscopy.

Enteroscopy. During enteroscopy your doctor uses a camera-equipped scope that's designed to reach deeper into your small intestine to look for signs of radiation enteritis.

CT and MRI. These imaging tests may show changes in the small intestine that suggest radiation enteritis. CT and MRI are usually done before a capsule endoscopy.

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